“Who’s Cowboy?” Jon looks confused.
I secure Red in the slanted horse stall before responding.
“I’m not ready for him to chase after me. We need to make sure whoever is stalking me can’t get to him or his niece.” I turn to Jon. “He’s sort of my boyfriend.”
Uncle Ethan chuckles. “There ain’t no sort of with a man like him. Your aunt and I will be heading back home tomorrow if you aren’t staying. Love you, kiddo.” Ethan pulls me into his chest, and I hold on for only a moment. If I let myself feel the comfort, I’ll break apart, and I’m not ready to do that.
He walks off toward the cabins they stay in when they’re here.
I turn my attention to Jon. “Take care of her and Tiffy. Make sure she pays attention to Tiffy, because she’s struggling.”
“I know. We need to find the thing that Tiffany likes so she can focus on that instead of her anger and emotions.”
“If I stay in Oklahoma for a bit, I’ll send for her. She can come down there and help with the rehab horses.” I bite my lip as I contemplate how I want to say the next part. “Thank you for always being there for me while I was growing up. I really appreciate that you came in and weren’t afraid to help with us. Could you make sure she knows I love her, but I need some time?”
Jon does the same thing Ethan did and pulls me into his body. “Andi, when I got with your mom, I knew it was going to include you and your sister too. There was never a doubt in my mind that I wanted to be with you all. She knows you love her. She’s just lost right now too, like you. She’s had nightmares since your accident.”
“I wish she had told me that. I have too.” I hug him back and then pull away. “If Callum shows up, don’t go too easy on him.”
I laugh and climb into my truck. It’s a good thing I learned to pull trailers as soon as I learned to drive.
Pulling out onto the highway, I head out on the over eleven-hour drive. I’ll need to stop for Red a couple of times, and I need to sleep, so I figure I’ll get there by early evening tomorrow, unless I decide to stay two nights on the road. I keep my phone off, only turning it on when I bed down for the night to let Jon and Ethan know I’m safe.
CHAPTER 10
ANDI
I decidedto take an extra day to drive because I’m struggling to sleep at night. It’s been three days since I last saw Callum. I miss him horribly, but he was the one who decided Ria had to be his focus. I don’t blame him, she needs to be. But my heart doesn’t understand.
While I was on the road, I called Ridley to let her know where I was. She told me she’d tell Lia I was safe. The issue now is I’m staring right at my best friend Ty, and Butcher, who’s straddling his bike, waiting for me.
I open my door and get out. I’m exhausted and just want to get some sleep, but I have to deal with this first.
Ty walks up to me and pulls me into his arms. “He showed up an hour ago, been waiting right there for you. He’s not the one, is he?”
I called Ty and told him everything. I talk to him like I do Lennox. He knows I’m in love with Callum. He knows Callum broke my heart. What he doesn’t know is that my stalker is after me. I haven’t been able to tell Ty about that. He’ll be upset. He already knows what happened in Vegas wasn’t an accident, and he has his own set of suspects. I just don’t believe Beau would hurt me. He’s moved on. We were never that close.
I pull away and walk over to Butcher. “Look, I don’t need you anymore. I called Ridley. She’s going to let me know if I need a detail here. Only a few people know about this place.” I wave my hands toward the sprawling flat lands of the ranch.
This place isn’t like Forging Forbes. There’s no breeding program. Instead, they help rehabilitate animals from the rodeo. They also help other large animals recover from trauma. That’s why Raine is here.
“You can tell Callum I got the message loud and clear. I’m going on my own now.”
“I’m not here because of Cowboy. Striker and Rogue made a deal. He won’t tell Cowboy where you are as long as I’m your detail. I’m the best. You should be glad I’m here in the middle of BFE.”
“A detail? Like security?” Ty asks.
He hands off Red to one of the ranch hands. I watch him walk away, and that’s when I spot Raine. Her beautiful gray head is up, proud and regal. When she turns, I see the black-and-white speckled pinto across her backside. She’s such a rare horse. I want to go to her, but I have to deal with Ty and Butcher first.
“It’s not what you think.” I turn to Ty.
“Oh, it’s exactly what you think. Don’t believe her.” Butcher alters everything. “That is, if you believe the person who sabotaged her final ride is still after her.”
“What?” Ty faces me. “You told me you were safe. You never said anything about the stalker coming back. You promised me you would tell me if they returned.”
“So, you know about her stalker?” Butcher asks, then it hits him. “She had this issue before.” It’s not a question.
Before I can answer him, Ty beats me to it.